Kentucky coach John Calipari says wayward point guard Ryan Harrow is expected to rejoin the Wildcats on Sunday, practice with the club and start to work his way back into the playing rotation.

Harrow, a sophomore who transferred from NC State, played in only 10 minutes in the season opener because of flu-like symptoms and then missed the next two games because of continued weakness. He then left the team this week to deal with “a family issue,” missing two more games.

"We want Ryan back," Calipari told reporters on Friday night after Kentucky’s 104-75 win over LIU-Brooklyn. "Again, just at the end of the day, I think he'll be back tomorrow and I think he'll be at practice on Sunday and Monday, and we'll get started.

"But (after) the time away, now he starts down the totem pole. Like last, and he's got to work his way back. ... Then he's got to work his way with time to Jarrod (Polson). Jarrod is playing well right now. He's got to fight, and he understands."

With Harrow absent, Calipari moved freshman shooting guard Archie Goodwin to the point and inserted graduate student Julius Mays into the lineup. And Polson, the former walk-on, also has seen extended playing time.

Goodwin has been a revelation at the point -- with Calipari comparing him to one of his former point guards at Memphis, Tyreke Evans. Goodwin is Kentucky’s leading scorer at 19.0 points per game, and he almost recorded a triple-double Friday night (22 points, nine rebounds, nine assists).

Without Harrow, though, Kentucky is very thin. Calipari has been mum about specific worries about Harrow’s physical and mental health. There is always tremendous pressure on Kentucky players, and following in the footsteps of the long list of NBA first-rounders who played point guard for Calipari (Derrick Rose, Evans, John Wall, Brandon Knight and Marquis Teague) is a significant task in itself.

"I would hope if it was your son you'd want me to deal with this the way I'm dealing with it," Calipari said. "I'm going to coach him, and if someone's better, he's not playing. If he's better, he'll play in time.

"We need him back. We need another guy, no question. But, look, it's like everything else, you have injuries, you have things that go on as a coach. This is who we are, and I like my team."

No. 8 Kentucky is 4-1 on the season and next plays Thursday night at Notre Dame as part of the SEC/Big East Challenge.